Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capture apparatus and a method for controlling the same.
Description of the Related Art
In cameras with an optical finder for example, there are some cameras that display, for convenience of shooting, various types of information such as an in-focus position in autofocus (abbreviated hereinafter as “AF”) superimposed on an optical finder image.
On the other hand, there are cameras that acquire, from an optical finder image, data for use in automatic exposure control (abbreviated hereinafter as “AE”). Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-240835 (Patent Document 1) discloses a camera that determines an exposure based on a photoelectric conversion output for each area of an optical finder image obtained using an AE sensor (metering sensor) that receives light of the optical finder image.
As also disclosed in Patent Document 1, in a case in which additional information, such as focus frame, is superimposed on an optical finder image, the metering results of an AE sensor that receives light of an optical finder image are influenced by the superimposed information. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, influence in the metering result due to a focus frame displayed in a superimposed manner is corrected by correcting the metering result for each area obtained by the AE sensor depending on the position of the superimposed focus frame.
By using, as an AE sensor, an image sensor in which a plurality of pixels are two-dimensionally arranged, it is possible to improve degrees of freedom in the position, size, and shape of an area to be metered, and to use a captured image for the purpose of subject detection or tracking, other than metering. For example, by detecting an area of a main subject, it is possible to easily determine the amount of exposure taking into consideration the area of the main subject. However, when the captured image obtained by the AE sensor includes information superimposed on an optical finder image, the precision of data acquired from the captured image may be lowered because it lacks data at a part hidden by the superimposed information or it is influenced by the superimposed information.
The technique of Patent Document 1 can correct influence of a displayed focus frame on the brightness of each area, but not influence of a displayed focus frame on processing that uses data in units of pixels, such as subject detection or subject tracking.